The deceased employee, Wando Evans, worked at a Walmart in Evergreen Park, Illinois. He died March 25, two days after he was sent home from work after he experienced symptoms. He was one of two employees at the Walmart to die as a result of the virus.

In a lawsuit filed in Cook County court, Evans’ family accused Walmart of negligence that contributed to his death, including a failure to adequately disinfect the store, adhere to social distancing guidelines and warn other employees that some workers were displaying symptoms. Store management was accused of failing to provide necessary supplies or training to workers.

The suit claims that Evans died “as a direct and proximate result” of Walmart’s alleged negligence. Evans’ family is seeking financial damages.

Walmart is one of several U.S. retailers that have continued to operate as essential businesses in recent weeks as cities around the country enact stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of coronavirus. More than 10,500 Americans had died from COVID-19 as of Monday, according to a Johns Hopkins University database.

This is quite the pickle.

How so?

Well, if the lawsuits are beginning, and if they begin in earnest, this will surely bankrupt companies that are not of the size of Walmart, unless, of course, the federal government sets-up a “coronavirus victims’ fund” or some similar sounding brand new program in which it pays out a type of life insurance to surviving family members of employees who die of coronavirus infections that are most likely caught on-the-job.

Complicating matters even more, what are we to make of the fact that PPE, such as masks, gowns, gloves, and face-shields, have been in short supply all around the nation?

At the most basic of economic levels, if companies are ponying-up for wrongful death suits, this is now a “cost of doing business” and therefore price inflationary.

Sooner or later, those costs will be passed on to the consumer.

The question is, how do we as a nation even begin to “move-on”, “open back up”, or “get back to work” when we live in such a litigious society as it is?

Meh.

Doesn’t matter.

The politicians in Washington, instead of tearing down many federal departments which are un-necessary, and instead of drastically reducing the size of government and therefore its costs and burdens (anybody remember Candidate Trump circa 2016?), have decided to double-down, triple-down and quadruple-down on our failed institutions and thus, our failing American society.

Our elected “leaders” will continue doubling-down until we simply tear ourselves apart, from within.

What a shame.

*****

Editor’s Note: The featured image in this post is not the actual Walmart employee who died, but rather, artistic placement meant to stimulate critical thought, in conjunction with the content of this article.

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